Rita Reynolds, NIU Graduate School business manager, is leaving NIU to work with American Indians across the United States.

Reynolds has worked at NIU for more than 20 years. She started in the personnel department in 1981 as a civil service classifier. Four and a half years later, she became the university library accountant and then was promoted to business manager in 1989.

Reynolds’ jobs at NIU have been centered on public contact and enforcing university rules.

“I have been involved with helping professors with their research by helping them procure things and helping fund travel to locations where they are presenting their research,” Reynolds said.

In 1991, Reynolds got involved with N.A.T.I.O.N.S., a student American Indian organization, where she began working as the faculty advisor.

Reynolds said she has been involved in many things because of N.A.T.I.O.N.S.

“My husband and I visit reservations each summer, and I have recruited students to come to NIU from the places we visit,” Reynolds said. “We have had some good and some bad experiences with the people who have come.”

Reynolds said she is looking forward to retirement because her visits to reservations will be much easier, and she will not have to worry about work while she is traveling.

Reynolds said she decided she needed more training to handle things correctly, so she is getting her master’s degree in counseling from the NIU College of Education.

“I hope to be working on a terminal degree as soon as I have completed my masters, mainly because there are things I would like to be part of from the ground floor,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds looks forward to continue learning and being connected to NIU.

“In the fall, I will be in practicum and then in the spring, internship and graduation. I need to be a counselor, so I need to no longer be a business manager. I will probably continue for a while as a graduate assistant, so I will not be completely gone, but I will be here differently,” Reynolds said.

It has not been decided who will replace Reynolds. Five people have been interviewed, but no one has been chosen, Reynolds said. The future NIU Graduate School manager will start making within the range of $40,000 to $50,000 a year, she said.

A reception will be held for Reynolds from 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday at the Holmes Student Center’s Clara Sperling Skyroom.